O Brave New Words!: Native American Loanwords in Current English [Hardcover]

Charles L. Cutler (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0806126558 | ISBN-13: 978-0806126555 | Publication Date: August 1994 | Edition: First Edition

Native American loanwords are a crucial, though little acknowledged, part of the English language. This book shows how the more than one-thousand current loanwords were adopted and demonstrates how the changing relationships between Indians and European settlers can be traced in the rate of loanword borrowing and the kinds of words adopted.

Appalachian: from the Appalachian Mountains in the eastern United States, from the Muskogean name of the Apalachee tribe of Florida

Moose: Eastern Abenaki mos; Papoose: Narragansett papoos, child; Squash: Narragansett askutasquash; Texas: from a Caddo word, meaning "friends" or "allies."

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The European settlers acquired many indispensable words from Native Americans, among them names of plants, animals, and food. Cutler organizes this wealth of language along historical lines.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

The University of Oklahoma Press charts new ground with the publication of this excellent book that examines the numerous Native American words that have been loaned to American English. Many of these fascinating entries are further examined in the accompanying text, which attempts to simplify a very complex series of historical events. The fluctuation of heavy borrowing corresponded directly to crucial historical events surrounding the colonization of America by Europeans. Cutler succeeds in making this work accessible to both the interested layperson and the scholar. What is most interesting in Cutler's analysis is what words were loaned, and why. Many loanwords are, of course, place-names, river names, names of geographical formations, and the like, but others are more mysterious. Cutler concludes that "perhaps a greater awareness of the Indian influence on our vocabulary will heighten an awareness of the Indian's lasting cultural impact in other ways." Indeed, the Native American ceded many gifts to the newcomers, including precious words from many now extinct languages. Highly recommended for academic and public library collections. Kevin Roddy

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Univ of Oklahoma Pr; First Edition edition (August 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806126558
• ISBN-13: 978-0806126555
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,171,538 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent survey, May 25, 2003

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Selanit "Selanit" (Lakewood, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: O Brave New Words: Native American Loanwords in Current English (Paperback)

This book provides an excellent survey of linguistic interaction between European and North American languages over the last 450 years, as evidenced mainly by loanwords. Accessibly written and historically aware; focuses mainly on English words borrowed from northern tribes, with a secondary emphasis on Spanish and Mesoamerican languages. An excellent read for anyone interested in words for their own sake.